Alabama basketball, which has been ranked as high as No. 8 this season, dropped out of the AP Poll on Monday in the aftermath of Sunday afternoon's 23-point beatdown on the road at the hands of Florida.
That ends the longest streak in program history since the 1970s. Prior to Monday, Alabama had been ranked in 42 consecutive AP Polls, dating back to January 29th, 2024, when the Crimson Tide broke back into the AP Poll after nine week absence on the way to a Final Four run.
Last year, Alabama was ranked in all 21 AP polls, never falling outside of the Top 10. Alabama opened the season ranked No. 2 and finished No. 6 in the final poll after making a run to the Elite Eight.
Alabama opened this season ranked No. 15 and climbed as No. 8 on two separate occassions, but the Crimson Tide has been trending downard since the start of SEC play.
Alabama basketball is trending in the wrong direction to open February
Alabama's loss to Florida dropped the Crimson Tide to just 4-4 in SEC play with a difficult week ahead.
Alabama will face Texas A&M at home on Wednesday. The Aggies, under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, have been the surprise of the SEC. They sit in first place at 7-1 in the league, and their aggressive defense could cause the Crimson Tide a ton of problems if they are as loose with the basketball as they were in Gainesville.
Following Wednesday's tilt against A&M, Alabama will travel to face a rested Auburn team on the Plains. The Tigers don't have a midweek game this week while the Crimson Tide will face the relentless Aggies in Tuscaloosa.
If Alabama can win both - a tall task, no doubt - then their absence from the AP Poll will only be for one week. It would also get the season back on track and build some momentum heading into the stretch run.
Because right now, this team has displayed a lot of flaws that will keep it from being a serious threat in March. And that's disappointing considering the expectations that Nate Oats set early in the season.